The Outlier's Journey - Stories of Inspiring Paths to Success

In the latest episode of "The Outlier's Journey" podcast, we delve into the unique story of Letita Martin, whose early years in Rapid City, South Dakota, defied the usual African American narrative. She grew up surrounded by a predominantly white and Native American community, a backdrop that set her apart from many of her peers. However, her life took a sharp turn when her family relocated to Greensboro, North Carolina. This move proved to be a pivotal moment, casting her into a whirlwind of adversity and presenting her with a host of new, significant challenges. Through her journey, she gained invaluable insights and emerged with three crucial life lessons that she believes are imperative for every young person to hear. Join us as she candidly breaks down these experiences and shares her wisdom on overcoming obstacles and shaping one's destiny. Don't miss this powerful conversation that promises to resonate with listeners of all backgrounds who are navigating their own paths through life's complexities.

For 15 years, Millie has been an integral part of the Cisco family, a name familiar to most Cisco employees in the bustling NYC metro area. But behind her familiar presence lies a journey less known, a journey marked by unwavering determination and unyielding grit.

Hailing from Morningside Heights, NYC, Millie's early life unfolded during a time when her neighborhood was shrouded in darkness, plagued by dirt, and overshadowed by the grip of drug-related issues. Yet, amidst the challenges, Millie emerged as a beacon of hope. She navigated through the trials and tribulations that often accompany such environments, becoming a young mother in the face of adversity and finding herself dependent on public assistance.

But Millie's story took a remarkable turn. With unshakable determination, she shattered the cycle of poverty that threatened to confine her. What was once a life of cleaning Cisco's NYC office transformed into a journey that led her to the remarkable position of Customer Experience Manager, right at the heart of the Cisco NYC office.

In this compelling podcast, we embark on a journey alongside Millie as she recounts her awe-inspiring trajectory. We delve into the depths of her experiences, exploring the pivotal moments, the life-changing decisions, and the unexpected twists that molded her into the trailblazer she is today. Through her story, we uncover the sheer power of the human spirit to rise above circumstances and achieve greatness.

Join us as we unravel the layers of Millie's remarkable odyssey, a tale that exemplifies the strength of the human spirit and the heights it can reach, regardless of the challenges faced. This is "The Outlier's Journey," and I'm thrilled to take you on this incredible journey of resilience, growth, and triumph.

In this podcast we explore the journey of Bryanna Morris and how the organization oneten.org  and Cisco changed the trajectory of her professional career in a major way at a critical time in her  life.  This podcast explores the following questions:

• How do we better match "skills" or the ability for someone to do a job vs just looking at credentials based on a 4 year college degree. 
• How can we improve access to professional jobs for those in minority communities. How do we close the opportunity gap?  

We explore these questions through Bryanna's very compelling story.

In this episode we will  explore the   journey of John Corbett, which began in Durban,  South Africa.   John  grew up as a white South African in an all white community. As a child, John had very limited exposure to the negative impacts of apartheid on other citizens until a single event in grade school made him realize that his black school mates were not being treated fairly. This set John on a journey of "continuous curiosity" to expand his world view, and  understand the perspectives of other cultures. 

The focus of this episode is on how the Camden Dream Center and  Cisco Networking Academies can spark young minority students interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers positively impact the trajectory of their  life, creating future Outliers. 

 Pastor Keith Davis who is the President and CEO of the Camden Dream Center, which is a Cisco Networking Academy partner, discusses the impact that  externships, internships and apprenticeships can have to improve minority representation in STEM and what organizations can do to help. 

 In this episode we will  explore the   journey of Kevin Barrow, which began in Brooklyn,  Barbados,  and Connecticut.   Kevin had the challenges of growing up in pre-gentrified Brooklyn  in an immigrant family and being treated as a minority's minority while growing up in Connecticut. Kevin had the additional challenge of having to deal with dyslexia and being color blind  - but this gave Kevin a "diversity of perception" and  he managed to change this "perceived" negative into a positive.  Kevin sees the world  through  a different lens, which has given him some "super powers". We follow his journey...  all the way to Cisco.... in his current role as  Technical Marketing Engineer responsible for our cutting edge collaboration solutions. 

In this episode we follow the journey of Vinaya Springer, an African American woman  born in Las Vegas,  but raised  in the DC, Maryland Virginia area (aka the DMV, aka the 757).  Follow her journey to become a successful senior tech leader at Cisco Systems . Discover how she  managed to overcome significant adversities, from prejudice in private school, violence in public school, and major family and personal developments in her college years.  Vinaya's superpowers are her intellect, determination to overcome adversity ,  and her authenticity. Find our how she was able to leverage those superpowers to launch her career and get her job recruiters to "think differently" when evaluating perspective candidates. 

In this episode we follow the journey of Troy James, an Afro-American who grew up in Jersey City and East Orange New Jersey in the 70s and 80s. Follow his journey to success in Tech at Cisco, as he navigated growing up in  a tough neighborhood as a quiet and shy skinny kid who loved to read comic books. With the inspiration of his parents, the positive lessons learned from his comic books, and the support of his college fraternity, Troy was able to overcome the adversities that he faced. So if you are wondering how a quiet, shy skinny kid can overcome his environment, then this podcast may have something for you. 

In this episode we follow the journey of Edilsa  Giron-LeGrier, an Afro-Latina who emigrated at an early age from tough streets of Colon, Panama to the tough streets of Brooklyn, New York. Follow her journey to success, as she navigated growing up in neighborhoods known for violence, with the challenge of adapting to school with English as her second language. With the support of her parents and her love for education, she managed to be admitted to NYC's Gifted & Talented program at an early age, which set her on a path to success to become a leader in Tech at Cisco Systems. She has been sometimes referred to as a "Unicorn". Listen to this podcast and find out why. 

In this episode we follow the journey of Iaishia Smith from a 2nd grader, being raised in the the housing projects of Paterson New Jersey, to a successful Engineering Project Manager at Cisco Systems . Follow Iaishia's journey as her mother executed a brilliant plan to get the family out of the projects and achieve a better life for her children. We uncover the organizations and caring individuals who helped Iaishia to grow and achieve her success. We also discuss her passion of raising awareness around the healthcare disparities that exist in the African American community and the importance of us all advocating for ourselves when it come to our own healthcare.